Date: July 2006
NV Version: ALL
OS Version: ALL
Application version: n/a
Plugin version: n/a
Description:
"Load media in 'DRIVE ???' failed" messages when the library robotics move a tape from a slot to a drive.
Symptoms:
Tape drive/s go offline when the library robotics move a tape from a slot to a drive. In NetVault:Backup's logs "Load media in 'DRIVE ???' failed" messages appear.
Cause:
Tape drives are configured into incorrect drive-bays within NetVault's Device Manager. To confirm this, view the log context for the "Load media in 'DRIVE ???' failed" message. (For information about viewing log context, please read the knowledgebase article titled "What is a Log Context, and how can it be viewed?").
If the log context contains the following information, it is likely that tape drives are configured into incorrect drive-bays within NetVault's Device Manager:
SCSI 14 0 83256 CMD TEST UNIT READY [ 00 00 00 00 00 00 ]
SCSI 16 0 83256 CMD STATUS 'CHECK CONDITION' [2]
SCSI 17 0 83256 CMD SENSE KEY 'NOT READY ' [2] - ASC 3a ASCQ 00
SCSI 18 0 83256 CMD SENSE INFO 'MEDIUM NOT PRESENT'
SCSI 20 0 83256 CMD RETURN VALUE 2
TAPESCSI 41 0 83256 No Media in device
TAPESCSI 114 0 83256 Do A Load Media (END)
TAPESCSI 45 0 83256 Load Media (END)
Remove the drives and library from NetVault, and then re-add by performing a 'Auto-Configure Device' from the Add menu item in the Device Management screen. Alternatively, proceed with the steps outlined below.
In environments where there are few tape drives, this problem can be overcome quite easily. If there are only two tape drives in the library, swap the tape drives between the drive bays. For example, if the current NetVault configuration is:
DRIVE-A in BAY-1
DRIVE-B in BAY-2
then modify the library in NetVault Device Management with the following configuration:
DRIVE-A in BAY-2
DRIVE-B in BAY-1
If the library contains more drives, and the current configuration is:
DRIVE-A in BAY-1
DRIVE-B in BAY-2
DRIVE-C in BAY-3
DRIVE-D in BAY-4
then consider reversing the order in which drives are allocated to drive bays as follows:
DRIVE-A in BAY-4
DRIVE-B in BAY-3
DRIVE-C in BAY-2
DRIVE-D in BAY-1
If the problem is still occurring then perform the following (the assistance of a hardware and/or operating system expert may be required):
1. Determine the SCSI-ID/LUN or WWN of each tape, and document which drive-bay within the library they are located at,
2. Determine which operating system device file corresponds to each of the tape drives**,
3. Reconfigure NetVault's Device Manager, placing the correct drive into the correct drive bay.
** Device file information, or an address identifier in the case of Windows, will be displayed for libraries and drives in the Add Library and Edit Device Windows. For example, on Solaris device files for tape drives are usually displayed as /dev/rmt/?bn. These device files point to other files in the '/devices' directory. There is enough information in the name of the files in this directory to identify the relevant tape drive/s in the library.
